Today’s students are preparing to enter a world where colleges and businesses are demanding more than ever before. In order to make sure all students are ready for success after high school, Common Core State Standards were implemented to establish clear, consistent guidelines for students across the country. The goal is to lay out what every student should know and be able to do in language arts and mathematics from kindergarten through 12th grade.
The Common Core Standards were put together by a team of experts and teachers from across the country. They’re designed to make sure students are prepared for entry-level careers, workforce training, and early-level college courses. The Common Core focuses on developing the critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills students will need to be successful. For example, a deeper understanding of how multiplication and division works is more important than memorizing times tables. So far there are forty-three states and the District of Columbia that have adopted the standards.
There are a few key points of the Common Core Standards that parents should be aware of:
- The Common Core Standards are driven by each state. It is basically a set of learning skills that all American students should achieve, not a federally mandated curriculum. They set the standards and guidelines for what each student should learn, not how or what teachers teach.
- The Common Core Standards are used for progression purposes. In general, standards set a progression of skills that each student learns as they move up through school. For example, kindergarteners work on basics like pronunciation and phonics. High school students work on building vocabulary and using diction.
- The goal is to provide students with a deeper understanding of critical thinking and concepts instead of just memorization. It’s important for students to understand the work they are doing. If a fifth grader is reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, they should be focusing on the most important concepts of the story rather than just setting, characters and plot.
- There is a push to raise reading standards in American schools. Students are expected to read more difficult material sooner and be able to discuss what they’re reading at a more complex level of understanding. For example, students in all grades will be expected to read both fiction and non-fiction writing. They should be able to analyze and think critically about the material that they’re reading and relate it to other stories and real life events.
- Students deserve a more hands-on approach to education. Instead of taking just multiple choice and true/false tests, students should be able to construct solid viewpoints in essay or short answer form. Mathematical skills should focus primarily on how students get their answers instead of simply memorizing a multiplication chart.
Parents are an important part of a student’s learning process. It is vital for parents and families to understand how the Common Core Standards will affect their students. One way to reinforce the idea is by educating parents. There are many videos and presentations available that explain what exactly the Common Core Standards are. The core curriculum is a way to standardize the education process to make sure all students are given the same opportunities and resources to succeed in school and beyond.
There are also many resources available for purchase at Quill.com to help prepare students and parents for the Common Core Standards. Our students are going to be lawyers, scientists, writers and researchers one day. We need to make sure they’re given every opportunity to achieve their goals.
Krista Wolfe
Quill.com Contributing Writer
Krista Wolfe is a marketing project manager for Quill.com where she writes to help small businesses, teachers and healthcare professionals make more informed decisions on office essentials. She also writes on our new community blog, Café Quill, about a wide range of business matters such as leadership, productivity and work-life balancing. Krista lives in Chicago and you can find her on Google+ or LinkedIN.